Community Engagement

The Board of the Lakeland Catholic School District understands and supports the key role that parents, stakeholders, and community members play in promoting success for all students. We welcome involvement from the community because we believe it strengthens the delivery of Catholic education in the Lakeland area.

In October and November 2012, we hosted the first round of Community Engagement evenings, where we met with parents to discuss education at Lakeland Catholic Schools (see below full report on these engagement sessions). The second round of Community Engagement evenings are planned for this Spring as noted in the schedule below. We encourage everyone to come out to any of these evenings - Your voice is important to us!

Themes

Most had enjoyed their time in the school system and felt they had benefitted from a “simple, solid foundation."

When asked about their hopes for education in the future, parents said that:

Technology was important, but that it needed to be balanced by strong relationships and sense of community.

There should be time in schools for play, without pressure for children to mature too quickly.

Diversity is increasingly valued and parents hoped that future students will approach each other with a sense that each is valued, and that “it’s OK to be different.”

Focus on the Catholic faith should ground all activities, and bring empathy and creativity to the student’s world.

It was very important to those present that all children have the opportunity for a good education and that their educational environment is inclusive. “Students have different needs,” said one parent, “but they can get help without being singled out.”

Shared Values

There were a number of areas in which the parents had common views, including:

Faith based education

Diversity - acceptance of all people and their needs

School as a community where relationships are valued

Student centered instruction

Skill in technology, but balance in its application

Time to play, reflect and grow

Suggestions for Future Engagement Activities

Parents had a number of suggestions for future engagement sessions with the Board.

Busing: A discussion was suggested so parents could better understand the rationale for the structure of the busing system.

Involving more parents: How could more parents become actively involved in the life of Lakeland Catholic School District.